News from January 2018
Illinois appellate court upholds decision to exclude six ICC directors from collective bargaining
A panel of Illinois appellate judges has ruled that six directors at the Illinois Commerce Commission can't be represented by a union because they are managerial employees.
Cook County judge: Chicago alderman's personal emails, texts generally not subject to FOIA
Emails and text messages sent and received by Chicago aldermen on their personal accounts and devices generally may not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, a Cook County judge has ruled, partially thwarting an attempt by Chicago lawyer Ameer Ahmad to uncover what he believed were efforts by his neighbors to use connections to Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno to allegedly improperly block Ahmad from obtaining a permit for a home improvement project.
Berrios lawsuit: Cook County ethics ordinance illegally limits his campaign cash, imposes fines
Cook County Assessor and chairman of the county's Democratic Party Joe Berrios has sued the Cook County Board over campaign donation limits.
Calif. AG fears possible effects of union fees case at U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – An amicus brief filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra argues public employees should have to pay union fees even if they fell that it contributes to political pandering.
Appeals court upholds Chicago Heights ward map, says objectors can't present counter map
A federal appellate court ruled that the city of Chicago Heights set proper boundaries when it redrew aldermanic ward maps, agreeing with a lower court that the map’s opponents, who alleged the city’s map violated a court decree addressing racial discrimination, do not have authority to submit their own alternative map for the court’s consideration.
Union Medical Center, others allegedly failed to prevent woman from slipping and falling
A woman is suing Union Medical Center, Cityscape Landscape LLC, Beef-Boners Union and Chicago Title Land Trust Company for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent injuries.
St. Alexius Medical Center allegedly failed to prevent man from falling
An estate administrator is suing St. Alexius Medical Center for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent injuries.
Lawyer accused of malpractice after allegedly failing to complete client's divorce, leading to bankruptcy
A man is suing Stuart A. Petersen, an attorney, for alleged breach of contract and legal malpractice.
Illinois law reducing LLC fees will help make Prairie State a bit more business friendly, attorney says
A woman is suing Union Medical Center, Cityscape Landscape LLC, Beef-Boners Union and Chicago Title Land Trust Company for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent injuries. And that's good for small businesses and the entire state, a local attorney says.
Class action alleges Cloverleaf Cold Storage failed to pay for vacation time
A woman has filed a class action suit against Cloverleaf Cold Storage Co. for alleged unpaid wages, violation of state and federal law and violation of workers’ compensation acts.
Judge: Federal law does not entitle retired corrections officers to obtain concealed carry permits
Correctional officers in Illinois are not entitled to permits to carry concealed firearms under federal law, a Chicago federal judge has ruled, saying the federal law does not compel the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, or any other county or state correctional agency, to classify the corrections officers as law enforcement officers.
Plaintiff: Baking company Aryzta owes dough for clunky fight over locale for lawsuit over worker fingerprints
The plaintiff in a putative class action suit accusing the bakery company which puts out the Otis Spunkmeyer and La Brea Bakery brands of violating an Illinois biometric privacy law by not telling workers how their fingerprints were handled, is now claiming the company is refusing to pay a portion of the plaintiff's legal costs, as ordered by a federal judge.
Lawsuit says woman died from receiving too much lidocaine during plastic surgery
An estate administrator is suing Shape Cosmetic Surgery LLC, Dr. Bhanoo Sharma and Dr. Primla K. Sharma for wrongful death and allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent injuries.
Transitional Care Center of Arlington Heights allegedly failed to prevent patient from falling
A man is suing Transitional Care Center of Arlington Heights LLC for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent injuries.
Woman accuses landlord, Chicago cops of locking her out of her home amid eviction in bitter cold
A woman is suing her landlord and the city of Chicago for alleged violation of state law.
UL wins permanent injunction barring gas canister company from selling products bearing its mark
After a Chicago federal judge refused a gas canister seller's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit brought by UL, alleging the canister company wrongly sold products implying UL had certified the products, the parties have agreed to end the lawsuit with a permanent injunction barring the cannister company from ever using UL's mark.
Holy Cross Hospital, others allegedly caused perforation of patient’s bile duct
A woman is suing Dr. Alemayeku Bekele, Holy Cross Hospital, Sinai Health Systems, Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Center and another individual for allegedly taking insufficient measures to prevent injuries.
eRelevance Corporation allegedly violated telephone harassment statutes
A woman has filed a class action lawsuit against eRelevance Corporation Inc. for allegedly violating telephone harassment statutes.
Man suing Madigan asks court to order release of inspector general's 2014 report detailing Speaker's clout
A former candidate who is suing Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and some of his supporters for allegedly using political tricks to sabotage his campaign, is now locked in a fight in Chicago federal court to secure the release of a 2014 inspector general’s report his lawyer says is needed to shed light on how the longest serving state house speaker in U.S. history and his political organization work, to help substantiate the candidate’s claims.
State AGs speak up in Janus case to preserve collection of union fees from non-union workers
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Several friend-of-the-court briefs have now been filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in the lawsuit brought by Mark Janus, an Illinois state government employee who feels union dues should not be taken from his paycheck since he is not a member of a union.